Hunter Biden was scheduled to appear before a House committee on Wednesday and answer questions in a closed-door session. Instead, President Joe Biden’s son did the one thing that Republicans were desperately trying to avoid: He spoke in public.
Hunter has offered to appear before the House Oversight Committee in an open public session. He offered to testify on Wednesday or on any day that the committee’s chair, Rep. James Comer, might suggest. But Comer was horrified by the idea. He and the other Republicans on the committee want Hunter in a closed session so they can bury any exculpatory evidence, selectively leak fragmented quotes to feed their baseless "impeachment inquiry," and release carefully edited snippets of themselves haranguing the president’s son for their 2024 campaigns.
Expectations were that Hunter Biden would not show today, but he surprised everyone by appearing, though not in the star chamber that Republicans wanted. Instead, he stepped in front of the U.S. Capitol—and the cameras—to speak openly to the public. And Republicans will be upset about what he had to say.
“I’m here today to see that the House committees’ illegitimate investigations of my family do not proceed on distortions, manipulated evidence, and lies,” said Hunter Biden. “And I’m here today to acknowledge that I’ve made mistakes in my life and wasted opportunities and privileges I was afforded. For that, I am responsible. For that, I am accountable. And for that, I’m making amends.”
His appearance on Capitol Hill drew widespread press attention. Even Fox News ended up running a portion of what he had to say, though their YouTube clip of his remarks cut off his opening words.
“For six years, MAGA Republicans, including members of the House committees who are in a closed-door session right now, have impugned my character, invaded my privacy, attacked my wife, my children, my family, and my friends,” Hunter continued. “They’ve ridiculed my struggle with addiction, they’ve belittled my recovery, and they have tried to dehumanize me—all to embarrass and damage my father, who has devoted his entire public life to service.”
In describing the actions of Reps. Comer, Jim Jordan, and other Republicans on the committees, Hunter pulled no punches.
“They have lied, over and over, about every aspect of my personal and professional life—so much so that their lies have become the false facts believed by too many people,” he said. As he went on listing some of the actions Republicans have taken in their efforts to demean and degrade him, he reached a point where he became clearly emotional. “They have taken the light of my dad’s love, the light of my dad’s love for me, and presented it as darkness. They have no shame.”
Hunter’s statement is absolutely worth listening to in full. It effectively rebutted both the nature and the content of the House proceedings on a day when Republicans intend to turn their mock investigation into a formal impeachment inquiry.
To say that Republicans weren’t pleased about having their game laid out in public is putting it mildly. Jordan and Comer hustled out to give an erratic press conference and threaten Hunter Biden with contempt proceedings.
And if it weren’t clear enough that this was all about trying to grab back some camera time, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene decided to sleaze her way in. The result was an abrupt end to the hallway gathering as even Jordan and Comer tried to run from Greene’s Pizzagate-level conspiracy theories.
Hunter Biden’s surprise appearance was a broadside into Republicans’ planned day of waving false evidence and preparing for a vote to relabel their fishing expedition as a formal impeachment inquiry. They should be ashamed, but as Hunter said, “They have no shame.”
Campaign ActionHunter Biden is facing intense backlash after holding a Capitol Hill press conference on Wednesday in which he refused to sit for a deposition before Congress, and declared his father, President Biden, was never "financially involved" in his business dealings.
Calls to hold Hunter in contempt of Congress began almost immediately following the end of the press conference, while other critics pointed to the claims concerning his father's relationship to his business dealings as "goalpost shifting."
"They belittled my recovery, and they have tried to dehumanize me, all to embarrass my father, who has devoted his entire life to public service," Hunter said. "For six years I have been a target of the unrelenting Trump attack team. ‘Where’s Hunter?’ Well, here’s my answer. I am here."
He added that "my father was not financially involved in my business," saying he was not involved in his dealings with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings, or his Chinese investments and others in the United States.
"We have moved from Joe Biden saying he never discussed business with Hunter to a new argument of Joe Biden wasn’t financially involved at all with Hunter’s business & most media haven’t covered the changing stories. Hold Hunter in contempt & impeach Joe," OutKick founder and Fox News contributor Clay Travis wrote on X.
"Hunter Biden refuses to comply with [Rep. James Comer's, R-Ky.] subpoena to be deposed behind closed doors and demands a public hearing so he can tell sob stories on TV. Reminder that Don Jr. testified behind closed doors for over 40 hours about the Russia hoax. Hold him in contempt!" conservative commentator Greg Price wrote.
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee quickly reacted on social media, pushing back against Hunter's "stunt."
Reps. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., both echoed those calls to hold Hunter in contempt, accusing him of mocking Congress with a "stunt," and calling his refusal an "obstruction of justice."
"Hunter Biden, this ain't Burger King. You can't Have It Your Way when it comes to congressional subpoenas. Quit the stunts, make your way to the deposition room, and let's talk," Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., wrote.
CALLS GROW FOR CONGRESS TO SUBPOENA JEFFREY EPSTEIN'S FLIGHT LOGS DESPITE DEMOCRAT ‘STONEWALLING’
Donalds also responded to Hunter's claim he was being targeted by "MAGA Republicans," declaring, "'MAGA Republicans' did not impugn Hunter Biden's character. Hunter Biden did that to himself."
"What’s Hunter Biden so afraid of?" wrote Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.
"This is one HELL of a new qualifier from Hunter Biden. Hunter now says, "My father was not financially involved in my business" FLASHBACK: Joe Biden used to say he has never talked about business with his family. This is a major shift from the Bidens," GOP communications strategist Steve Guest wrote.
Abigail Jackson, the communications director for Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., echoed Guest, noting that "we've gone from Joe Biden claiming he never even discussed business with Hunter to Hunter claiming Joe was never *financially* involved in his business. Big goalpost shifting and lots of lies from the Bidens."
"First, Joe Biden had no knowledge, then he had no involvement, and now he has no ‘financial’ involvement. Time to explain ‘10 held by H for the big guy,’ the reported bank records showing a money trail to Joe Biden, and Hunter's messages saying Joe Biden financially benefited," Republican National Committee strategic communications director Tommy Pigott wrote.
Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
A cartoon by Mike Luckovich.
After months of dedicated sleuthing by Rep. James Comer, Republicans have determined that President Joe Biden sometimes loans money to members of his family, and members of his family pay him back. That’s enough for Republicans to begin impeachment proceedings.
The vote on Wednesday will not mean that Biden is impeached. Instead, it will only put a formal stamp of approval on the work three Republican-led committees have conducted for the last year. That means Comer can continue waving around bank records showing that Hunter Biden paid back his father for a truck downpayment as if they are important. Rep. Jim Jordan can continue to chase Rudy Giuliani’s droppings and lie about activities in Ukraine that were debunked years ago. Only now both of them will officially be part of an impeachment inquiry instead of … whatever they’ve been doing all along.
While this proceeding won’t mean Biden has been impeached, that’s definitely where Republicans are going. Not because they have any evidence of wrongdoing, but because they want to please Donald Trump and give him ammunition for the upcoming election.
As The New York Times reports, despite having obtained 36,000 pages of bank records, Republicans have found no evidence that Joe Biden was enriched by the overseas business dealings of his son or any other family member. Republicans are left looking at $240,000 in money that Biden provided to other members of his family, which they paid back.
That’s it. That’s what they have on Biden.
None of that matters, because Republicans have already admitted why they are doing this. Rep. Troy Nehls told USA Today that they want to give the twice-impeached Trump “a little bit of ammo to fire back” and say that Biden was also impeached.
Some Republicans will vote for this proceeding because they want to please Trump. Some will vote because they are terrified of Trump. Even the headline of The New York Times article gives the game away: “House set to approve Biden impeachment inquiry as it hunts for an offense.” They don’t have evidence of wrongdoing. They don’t even know what charge they are going to lay against Biden.
They just know they have to make some charge—because this vote isn’t about Biden at all. It’s about Trump.
As Joan McCarter wrote yesterday, Republicans in the House are scrambling to announce themselves as loyal foot soldiers for Trump. Only one Republican representative, Freedom Caucus member Ken Buck of Colorado, is willing to write, “Republicans in the House who are itching for an impeachment are relying on an imagined history.”
Months of witnesses. A hundred-thousand pages of documents. And Republicans have still come up empty.
It’s almost as if Joe Biden is an honest man who has spent his life in service to his nation. And it’s almost as if Republicans don’t care about that. They only care about showing their allegiance to a man who has already been found guilty of fraud and who is currently facing 91 felony charges.
According to the house schedule, votes on formalizing the impeachment inquiry will be held around 5 PM ET.
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Hunter Biden showed up on Capitol Hill on Wednesday but said he planned to testify in a public hearing, escalating a standoff with GOP investigators.
President Joe Biden’s son has insisted, through his attorney, that he wants to testify publicly and not in a private meeting. Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) has denied that request, demanding Hunter Biden sit for a closed-door deposition Wednesday.
“I'm here today to answer at a public hearing any legitimate questions Chairman Comer and the House Oversight Committee may have for me,” Hunter Biden told reporters.
“Republicans do not want an open process,” he added.
The two Republicans leading the investigation — Comer and Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) — have threatened to start contempt of Congress proceedings against Hunter Biden if he did not appear for the deposition.
With the House leaving town this week until January, that expected fight is likely to drag into next year. And Comer and Jordan need near unanimity among the House GOP to ultimately hold the younger Biden in contempt of Congress, though even if they clear that hurdle, there’s no guarantee the Justice Department would ultimately decide to prosecute him.
It was unclear even into Wednesday morning whether Hunter Biden would appear for the deposition. GOP investigators subpoenaed Hunter Biden in November for a closed-door meeting, but his attorney, Abbe Lowell, responded that the president’s son was willing to testify in a public hearing.
House Republicans countered that they would videotape the deposition and quickly release a transcript of the interview, in a failed bid to assuage Lowell’s concerns that Hunter Biden’s testimony would be selectively leaked or mischaracterized. Democrats have criticized Comer, in particular, for not releasing transcripts for several closed-door interviews and rejecting Hunter Biden’s offer to interview publicly.
“What the Republicans fear most is sunlight and the truth,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee.
In addition to Hunter Biden, GOP investigators have subpoenaed several individuals including James Biden, Joe Biden’s brother, and Rob Walker, a Hunter Biden business associate. Republicans have said lawyers for both are in talks with committee staff. They’ve also requested voluntary interviews with other family members.
But Republicans view Hunter Biden as a top target in their sweeping impeachment inquiry aimed at the president. The House is expected to vote as soon as Wednesday to formalize that inquiry, which was launched back in September.
Top Republicans believe only one GOP member will vote no on that: retiring Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.). They’ve managed to chip away at opposition from centrists and vulnerable Republicans in Biden-won districts.
Formalizing the inquiry is expected to give Republicans more legal power as they look to enforce their demands for documents and interviews. Though the White House has defended its level of cooperation with the investigation, officials have also pointed back to a Trump-era Justice Department opinion to argue that the inquiry, and subpoenas stemming from it, lack legitimacy without a formal vote to legitimize.
Republicans’ top potential legal targets include two Justice Department tax officials and a former White House counsel, each of whom they’ve requested interviews with. But Comer added that he believed the resolution could also help with their ongoing battle with Hunter Biden, noting that his counsel had previously “implied that this wasn’t a legitimate investigation.”
Hunter Biden arrived on Capitol Hill Wednesday, not to comply with his subpoena and be deposed at the House Oversight Committee, but to hold a press conference and again offer to testify publicly. He maintained that his father, President Biden "was not financially involved" in his business, and saying there is "no evidence because it did not happen."
Hunter Biden offer to testify publicly is a de facto rejection of the GOP demand that he appear Wednesday for the closed-door deposition he was subpoenaed for. That deposition was scheduled to take place Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.
Instead, he delivered a public statement on Capitol Hill Wednesday, blasting "MAGA" Republicans who have "invaded" his privacy, "attacked" his family, and "ridiculed my struggle with addiction."
"They belittled my recovery, and they have tried to dehumanize me, all to embarrass my father, who has devoted his entire life to public service," the president's son said. "For six years I have been a target of the unrelenting Trump attack team. ‘Where’s Hunter?’ Well, here’s my answer. I am here."
Hunter Biden added that "my father was not financially involved in my business," saying he was not involved in his dealings with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings, or his Chinese investments and others in the U.S.
"No evidence to support that my father was financially involved in my business because it did not happen," Hunter Biden said.
The White House and President Biden have maintained that the president was "never in business" with his son. Biden has also said he never spoke to his son about his business dealings, but evidence--like email records and testimony from Hunter Biden's former business partners--presented by House Republicans in their investigations seem to contradict those statements.
The president's son went on to blast House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Ways & Means Committee Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., who are co-leading the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.
Hunter Biden said the chairmen had manipulated evidence and misstated personal information.
"Republicans have lied over and over about every aspect about my personal and professional life," Hunter Biden said. "So much so, that the false facts are believed by too many people."
He added: "They have taken the light of my dad’s love for and presented it as darkness. They have no shame."
Hunter Biden said House Republicans have "engaged in unprecedented political interference."
"Yet here I am, Mr. Chairmen—taking up your offer…I’ve chosen," he said. "I am here to testify at a public hearing today to answer any of the committee’s legitimate questions."
He added: "Republicans do not want an open process where Americans can see their tactics, expose their baseless inquiry, or hear what I have to say."
"What are they afraid of? I’m here. I’m ready," Hunter Biden said.
The president's son then left Capitol Hill.
Comer and Jordan last week threatened to hold Biden in contempt of Congress if he defied the subpoena and failed to appear for his deposition.
Comer and Jordan had vowed to release the full transcript of Hunter's deposition if he did participate. They also vowed to then schedule a public hearing for the president's son to testify in a setting for the American people to hear from him directly.
Hunter's failure to appear comes as House Republicans seek to vote on a resolution that would formalize the impeachment inquiry against the president.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.